The MAN 23/30H GenSet Marches On

2/2015A Technical Customer Magazine of MAN Diesel & Turbo

Upgrade Packages for Odfjell TankersFuel-saving package with Kappel technology

> Page 4

Exploiting Methanol as a Fuel Type ME-LGI concept explores liquid possibilities

> Pages 6-7

Trawlers Specified with MAN’s SCR SystemPromote ecologically friendly fishing

> Page 5

ECOCHARGE Takes Significant StepTwo-stage TC heads for market launch

> Page 10

Mitsui Engineering & Shipbuilding Co., Ltd. (MES) – the MAN Diesel & Turbo licensee – recently demonstrated the liquid-gas-injection concept success-fully in Japan.

The successful demonstration took place on 17 June, 2015 using the very first ME-LGI engine to ever be commercially produced. The en-gine is bound for a vessel currently under construction by Minaminip-pon Shipbuilding Co., Ltd. for Mitsui O.S.K. Lines, Ltd.

A natural step

Ole Grøne, Senior Vice President – Two-Stroke Promotion & Sales –

MAN Diesel & Turbo, described the event as a significant milestone in the development of diesel technol-ogy and said: “The immediate mar-ket acceptance of our ME-GI (Gas Injection) engine confirmed the growing demand for low-sulphur, non-HFO options in the face of in-creasingly stricter sulphur limits in fuel. In turn, extending our dual-fuel engine programme with an ME-LGI unit that can run on liquid fuels was therefore a natural step.”

He continued: “The interest in our ME-LGI engine confirms this dual-fuel, low-speed trend and will...

Continued on page 3

Successful Japanese Demonstration of ME-LGI ConceptMitsui tests first commercial model on HFO and methanol

First introduced 50 years ago, the MAN 23/30H GenSet has since proved to be a reliable performer and enjoys a good reputation to this day.

The first 23/30H came on the mar-ket in 1965 but the original engine bears little resemblance to the mod-ern variants where all fundamental characteristics, such as output, design concept, fuel consumption and emissions, component materi-als, engine components, etc. have greatly evolved after five decades of continuous development. Indeed, the only original component that has survived is the crankcase ven-tilation system, known as the ‘brief-ing pot’ in daily speak.

The L23/30H engine has a long

history of operational stability and has significantly increased its num-ber of sales in recent years. The engine is popular with shipowners for a number of reasons, not least for its broad market penetration that has ensured global recognition on account of its reliability and ‘forgiv-ing’ service demands.

MAN Diesel & Turbo licensees also appreciate the 23/30H and over the many decades of its exist-ence have localised the manufac-ture of many of the engine’s compo-nents. Indeed, some licensees have a permanent production line/price-optimisation program that aims to reduce prices by 2-3% annually.

Applications for the engine in-clude tankers, bulk carriers and

product tanker as auxiliary engines although there have been some sales as prime movers for fishing trawlers, while a small number are employed in Greenland as power plants. The engine is mostly HFO-driven with gas and marine oil also used in special environmental ar-eas.

23/30 characteristics

The 23/30H GenSet exists as Mk. 1, Mk. 2 and ‘Monocoque’ ver-sions. Mk. 1 is currently undergoing a drive to extend its TBOs and is still popular, while Mk. 2 was intro-duced more recently to the market and with considerable success.

Continued on page 2

The MAN 23/30H GenSet Marches OnIntroduction of new model marks half-century of success

L35/44DF Market Entry/Page 11

PAGE 2 DIESELFACTS 2/2015

Continued from front page

The very latest version is the 23/30H Monocoque, with the very first model due for construction during 2015.

Globally, 12,000 or so 23/30H units have been produced over its lifetime, and many of the original Mk. 1 models are still in use. Over-all, 2/3 s of sales occur in Asia, es-pecially China.

The 23/30H engine is optimised for part-load operation, typically at 40-65%. Stena Line was the first customer to optimise turbocharg-ers and engine timing for its Mk. 2 engines, in the process delivering a 3 g/kWh improvement in fuel con-sumption due to the employment of alternative turbocharger match-ing and a turbocharger waste gate, combined with new valve timing.

The 23/30H also stands out from its competitors in that its mep is <20 bar. Generally, any engine with an mep >20 bar experiences greater operative stress, which – in the long run – means more spare parts and greater running costs over an en-gine’s lifetime.

The Mk. 2 version of the engine arrived at the end of the last dec-ade with a key difference to its Mk. 1 counterpart being an increased output of some 10%, better SFOC and timing, and the Mk. 2’s adop-tion of the latest turbochargers from the MAN Diesel & Turbo portfolio.

Mk. 2 Monocoque

The latest 23/30H variant – and the future for the model, according to the engine’s designers at MAN Die-sel & Turbo, Holeby – is the Mk. 2 Monocoque, which is currently be-ing introduced to the market. Suc-cessfully optimised for reduced vi-brations, lower weight and cost, its designers describe the Monocoque design as more standardised and higher performing than its two pre-

decessors. However, in a conserva-tive market where ship owners and operators prefer to work with en-gines they have prior experience with, advocates of the Monocoque variant know that patience will be necessary before customers can be persuaded to move away from the tried and trusted Mk. 1 and 2 variants.

The first Monocoque prototype will be built in late-2015 by CMP in China, and MAN Diesel & Turbo is currently looking for a suitable pro-ject for the engine.

Technical improvements from Mk. 1 to Mk. 2

Up-rating is one of the most ef-fective cost-down initiatives meas-ured in price/kWh.

Based on more than 200 differ-ent upratings of between 0.5 to ~ 9.0% over time – and with exclu-sively good service experience – MAN Diesel & Turbo could have, within the existing class rules, up-rated the Mk. 2 by almost 10% with-out triggering a significant approval process by the classification socie-ties. Furthermore, 10% was the ap-proximate limit the company knew it could accommodate in the design as an uprating >10% would have required the replacement of a lot of components and detailed re-calcu-lations of the engines parameters.

In connection with the creation of the new 23/30H mark, some other, important changes were made:

the frame material was changed from GG30 to GGG40 to ac-commodate a higher, maximum pressure

the NR/R turbocharger was swapped for a TCR to facilitate a better efficiency

nozzle cooling was introduced as standard to increase the life-time of the injection nozzles.

Monocoque design improvements

The Monocoque design is a cost-down initiative that partly simplifies installation of the 23/30H, reduces the GenSet’s overall weight, and delivers a stiffer construction that reduces vibration. The basic Mono-coque idea is not an innovation as such, more a natural result of the continuous development that has maintained the 23/30H’s market competitiveness over its lifetime.

The L23/30H Mk. 2 Monocoque GenSet features a number of im-provements compared to its pre-decessors. The defining difference is that the alternator now has a top bracing that makes it a load-bear-ing component and comes as a standard specification such that all generators fit the baseframe. The benefits stemming from this design change are multiple and include:

easier installation reduced vibration levels reduced weight easy fitting/adjustment of alter-

nator GenSet mounting points/Coni-

cals reduced from 8 to 3 and which adjust to their founda-tion with no special levelling re-quired – a more conventional, 4-point support variant is also available.

The Monocoque is also significant-ly cheaper than its predecessors, owing to:

the use of fewer materials fewer components reduced number/cost of conical

mounting points simplified manufacturing and

handling simplified assembly of the alter-

nator.

23/30 Mk. 1 TBO case studies

MAN Diesel & Turbo recently start-

ed a campaign to extend TBOs for Mk. 1 engines, a theme that is still very relevant as many Mk-1 units are still in operation. In general, cus-tomers are interested in long TBOs and how many spare parts they’ll have to buy in an engine’s lifetime, which is equivalent to the ship’s lifetime. The extended TBO cam-paign stems from direct customer requests, as indeed have all 23/30H design changes through the years, and is a key reason for the engine maintaining its good reputation.

In connection with this, A.P. Møller-Maersk has an on-going project to extend TBOs across its fleet. The first case study involves the ‘Maersk Rosyth’, an A.P. Møller Maersk oil/chemical tanker built by Guangzhou Shipyard Intl. in China The vessel features three MAN GenSets, #3 being an MAN 7L23/30H-720RPM auxiliary engine built by STX in 2001 and with – at the commencement of the project – 40,736 running hours.

The overhaul inspection of the Maersk Rosyth’s auxiliary en-gines confirmed that the L23/30H-720RPM is capable of operating on HFO with 20,000 hours between main overhaul if:

Regular maintenance cleaning

of the turbocharger, lube oil and fuel oil is carried out as recom-mended.

The main overhaul is carried out as recommended with the cor-rect spare parts, and that en-gine performance is brought back to “shop-test level”.

The second case study involved the ’Karen Maersk’, an A.P.Møller-Maersk tanker also built by Guang-zhou Ship Intl. in China with 2 × 6L23/30H GenSets. Constructed in China by ZJCME in 2009, two of the ship’s auxiliary engines had respec-tive running hours of 12,404 and 11,585 hours before arriving at MAN PrimeServ Holeby for inspection.

The overhaul inspection showed that the L23/30H-900RPM engine is capable of operating at more than 12,000 hours between main over-haul. Prime indicators of this are the intact chromium layer on the piston rings and the low wear rate displayed by the cylinder liners and valves. In fact, PrimeServ recom-mended that that the engines’ cur-rent overhaul interval be extended to 16,000hrs on HFO.

To achieve this, Holeby recom-mended that newest cylinder setup be used with:

Piston rings changed to nodu-lar cast iron KV1 instead of LP7, which is a cast iron material (KV1 is standard today).

Additional drain bores in the pis-tons for a better scraping effect (also standard today).

If KV1 rings and extra drain bores are introduced, and fuel-and lube oil cleaning maintained as recom-mended, the Karen Maersk’s L23/30H-900RPM main overhaul interval can potentially be increased to 20,000 hours.

New L23/30H-Mk. 2 GenSets lined up after production at one of MAN Diesel & Turbo’s Chinese licensees

Graphical rendering of the MAN 23/30H Monocoque engine

An L23/30H GenSet ready for delivery

The only original, remaining L23/30H component – the crankcase ventilation system or ‘briefing pot’ –seen (left) on a ‘28’ engine from the past and (right) on a modern L23/30H unit

Main Particulars L23/30H L23/30H Mk. 2

Rated speed [rpm] 720/750/900 720/750/900

Rating per Cylinder [kW] 130/135/160 142/148/175

Mean effictive pressure [bar] 18.2/18.1/17.9 19.9/19.8/19.6

Max Firing Pressure [bar] 130/130/135 145/145/150

SFOC at 100% load [g/kWh] 193/193/195 191/191/193

T/C NR/R TCR

Frame metal GGG30 GGG40Source: MAN Diesel & Turbo

PAGE 3DIESELFACTS 2/2015

At an awards ceremony held on April 15th, 2015 at the PrimeServ Academy in Shanghai, MAN Diesel & Turbo SE was awarded approval in principle for its SCR system for the entire medium-speed engine portfolio fulfilling IMO Tier III regulations by the China Clas-sification Society (CCS).

Testing took place on an MAN 8L21/31 auxiliary engine with an integrated SCR (Selective Catalyt-ic Reduction) system but the cer-tificate actually applies to the en-tire medium-speed engine portfolio. The MAN-built engine is bound for a DFDS Seaways Ro-Ro vessel, the ‘Petunia Seaways’. The ceremony was attended by major shipowner companies and licensees.

Goetz Kassing, Chairman and Head of MAN Diesel & Turbo China, received the certificate on behalf of MAN Diesel & Turbo from Sun Feng, Vice President of CCS. Founded in 1956, CCS is the only profession-al organization in China to provide classification services.

“This certificate represents an im-portant milestone in our collabo-ration with CCS and is of utmost importance in providing a com-plete IMO Tier III package solution to our customers,” said Dr Daniel Struckmeier – Head of Emission 2016 – Senior Project Manager, MAN Diesel & Turbo. “This mile-

stone is one of three agreed major steps in a long-term relationship with CCS. The first step has been accomplished after issuance of the first IMO Tier III EIAPP certificate for the 21/31 engine group in February this year. Today’s award finalised the second step, which includes the certification of the MAN Diesel & Turbo SCR modelling tool, cover-

ing the MAN Diesel & Turbo engine portfolio from 5L16/24 to 18V48/60. From this moment in time and for-ward, every customer can profit from the easy and effective way of IMO Tier III certification for all MAN Diesel & Turbo four-stroke engines. The final step, planned for autumn of this year, will incorporate the is-suance of a general approval of our entire engine portfolio based on the afore-mentioned MAN Diesel & Tur-bo SCR modelling tool.”

In December 2013, MAN Diesel & Turbo signed a Framework Agree-ment with CCS for Technical Co-operation during Marintec China. Both parties have since strength-ened their cooperation in the fields

of ship technology, ship-type re-search & development and market cooperation.

“We are glad to present the first Tier III Certificate to MAN. Based on the good cooperation, we can pro-vide a better service for the marine and shipbuilding industry,” said Sun Feng after the ceremony.

“China is MAN Diesel & Turbo’s most important market,” said Goe-tz Kassing, Chairman and Head of MAN Diesel & Turbo, Region China.

“As China has taken the next steps to higher levels of efficient and clean energy production for a sus-tainable and better environment, it is our priority to align our engines with the new policies to stay ahead of the competition.”

Continued from front page

...offer even more alternatives to HFO, which – apart from methanol

– will include LPG, dimethyl ether (DME), and (bio-) ethanol, as well as several other, low-sulphur, low-flashpoint fuels.”

Grøne concluded: “We welcome our partners’ interest in our tech-nology and acknowledge their tak-ing the lead in proving the ME-LGI

concept. We are confident that their faith will be rewarded in the imme-diate future.”

Demonstration

Mitsui’s ME-LGI demonstration in-volved four separate stages:1. Change to methanol running.2. Methanol running 50-75%.3. Load variation.4. Change to fuel-oil running.The event took place at the compa-

ny’s Tamano works, near Okayama in the western part of the mainland, and was witnessed by approxi-mately 60 interested guests from the marine industry in Japan.

The ME-LGI concept

The ME-LGI concept is an entirely new concept that can be applied to all MAN Diesel & Turbo low-speed engines, either ordered as an origi-nal unit or through retrofitting. With two injection concepts, the ME-GI and the ME-LGI concept greatly ex-pand the company’s dual-fuel port-folio and enables the exploitation of more low-flashpoint fuels such as

methanol and LPG.The engine’s ‘ME-’ prefix indi-

cates that the new engine ben-efits from well-proven electronic controls that also encompass the fuel being injected by a so-called Fuel Booster Injection Valve. This innovative fuel booster, specially developed for the ME-LGI engine, ensures that a low-pressure, fu-el-gas supply system can be em-ployed, significantly reducing first-time costs and increasing reliability. The Fuel Booster Injection Valve will be introduced also on regular ME HFO engines, eventually.

MAN developed the ME-LGI en-

gine in response to interest from the shipping world in operating on al-ternatives to heavy fuel oil. Metha-nol and LPG carriers have already operated at sea for many years, and many more LPG tankers are currently being built as the global LPG infrastructure grows. With a viable, convenient and economic fuel already on-board, exploiting a fraction of the cargo to power a vessel makes sense with another important factor being the benefit to the environment. MAN Diesel & Turbo has previously stated that it is already working towards a Tier-III-compatible ME-LGI version.

CCS Awards World’s First SCR IMO Tier III Approval in PrincipleMAN Diesel & Turbo reaches historical IMO Tier III milestone for entire, four-stroke, engine portfolio

Group photo from the ceremony

(From left) Dr Daniel Struckmeier, Goetz Kassing, Sun Feng and Ralph Klaunig

holding the coveted CCS certificate

The LGI combustion chamber consists of two LGI-fuel valves and two oil-fuel valves, the latter used for pilot oil when running in LGI-mode and as fuel valves when running in normal mode

Scene from the ME-LGI demonstration at the Tamano works


Upgrade Packages Ordered for Odfjell Tankers Fuel-saving upgrade package with Kappel technology designed to optimise propulsion efficiency and lower the fuel consumption of 11 vessels

MAN Diesel & Turbo’s Propeller & Aft Ship organisation has won an order to retrofit and upgrade a series of 11 × 37,500 dwt vessels from the Odfjell chemical tanker fleet.

The vessels are of the Kværner Class and are due to dock dur-ing 2015-17, at which time the up-grades will be implemented. The first vessel, ‘M/T Bow Clipper’, will dock and be upgraded in August 2015.

Each vessel has an MAN B&W two-stroke engine powering a four-bladed, controllable-pitch propeller and a PTO-driven shaft alternator. The vessels’ new service speed at reduced main-engine output – combined with the implementa-tion of MAN’s highly-efficient Kap-pel propeller blades, a fairing cone and a pre-fabricated rudder bulb kit – will all contribute to power

savings and reduced exhaust-gas emissions.

The Kappel blades, fairing cone and rudder bulb are designed and customised for the tanker’s hull and rudder designs. The calculat-ed power saving has been verified by tank-test analyses at MARINTEK (Norwegian Marine Technology Re-search Institute) as reported in pre-liminary results.

“It’s a very exciting project and we are proud to be part of it. With our new design possibilities, we are furthermore looking forward to offering this fuel-saving concept to other fleets with similar opera-tional patterns,” said Kjartan Ross, Business Development Manager of MAN Diesel & Turbo’s Propeller & Aft Ship organisation. He contin-ued: “With the long lifetime expec-tancy of Odfjell’s high value, quality vessels, this upgrade investment is

straightforward and very attractive”.

Front runner

As technological front-runners, Odfjell embarked on the ambitious Kværner Class newbuilding pro-gramme of 37,500 dwt ships with 52 fully-segregated stainless-steel tanks and piping systems in 1991. The first such vessel was delivered in 1994 and the new series was packed with new technology: con-trollable pitch propellers, shaft al-ternators on main engines, bow thrusters, fixed tank-cleaning ma-chines and radar positioned in each tank to gauge ullage. Odfjell was also a pioneer within the area of fully computer-controlled engines. The last ship in the series, ‘M/T Bow Firda’, was delivered in 2003 and has a main engine – an MAN B&W 7S50ME-C type – with elec-tronically controlled timing and no camshaft – a world first.

The following Kværner Class vessels are currently scheduled for upgrade:

Bow Flower, Bow Clipper, Bow Fortune, Bow Cecil, Bow Flora, Bow Cardinal, Bow Faith, Bow Ce-dar, Bow Fagus, Bow Chain and Bow Firda.

About Odfjell

Odfjell SE is a leading company in the global market for transportation and storage of bulk liquid chemi-cals, acids, edible oils and other special products. Originally set up in 1914, the company pioneered

the development of the chemical tanker trades in the middle/late 1950s and the tank storage busi-ness in the late 1960s. Odfjell owns and operates chemical tankers and

LPG/Ethylene carriers in global and regional trades as well as a joint venture network of tank terminals. Today’s tanker fleet amounts to 80 vessels.

M/T Bow Firda, delivered in 2003, was the last and most advanced chemical tanker in Odfjell’s 37,500 dwt Kværner Class. It is powered by an MAN B&W 7S50ME-C main engine (the world’s first) driving an MAN Alpha VBS1560 pro-peller and shaft alternator

Graphic from MAN Diesel & Turbo’s CFD simulation of the new Kappel propeller blades, fairing cone and rudder bulb – customised for the existing aft ship and fishtail rudder

Principal particulars

Vessel type Chemical tanker – double hull

Dead weight tonnage (mt) 37,500

Length overall (m) 183.10

Breadth (m) 32.20

Draught (m) 10.65

Engine power (kW) 10,415

Max. engine and propeller speed (r/min) 117

Shaft-alternator power (kW) 850

Propeller diameter (mm) 6,300Source: MAN Diesel & Turbo

MAN PrimeServ Turbocharger, of MAN Diesel & Turbo’s service division, recently signed a Premium Turbocharger Maintenance Contract with Anglo-Eastern Ship Management.

The contract covers approximately 330 tur-bochargers installed aboard various ves-sels from the Anglo-Eastern fleet operating worldwide. The turbocharger types covered by the contract are essentially a mixture of NA/TCA axial types for main engines, and NR/TCR radial types for auxiliary engines.

PrimeServ reports that a key influence in the negotiations was the good fit between the global nature of Anglo-Eastern’s trad-ing routes and PrimeServ’s global network of service centres. Under the terms of the agreement, PrimeServ will provide all rel-evant services as a complete maintenance package.

The new agreement represents the first time Anglo-Eastern has employed Prime-Serv to handle its turbocharger service pro-gramme. Accordingly, MAN PrimeServ Tur-bocharger – in coordination with the MAN

PrimeServ network – will coordinate and plan all upcoming scheduled maintenance intervals for Anglo-Eastern’s turbochargers, including the timely delivery of necessary spare parts.

Premium Maintenance Contracts

With a Premium Maintenance Contract, MAN Diesel & Turbo handles all scheduled maintenance planning for the customer six to seven months prior to an upcoming turbocharger service. The customer then simply confirms the upcoming service by email. Such contracts entail several, other benefits:

timely spare-parts planning that ena-bles higher price flexibility

MAN PrimeServ Turbocharger monitors and administrates upcoming mainte-nance intervals

fixed prices for turbocharger services and spare parts

turbocharger operational data constant-ly updated including the complete main-tenance history

open access to maintenance docu-mentation, electronic spare-parts cat-alogues and service reports through PrimeServ’s customer intranet.

About Anglo-Eastern

Established in 1974, Anglo-Eastern offers technical services to third parties around the globe serving all types and sizes of ships and is experienced in ship manage-

ment, crew management, the education and training of seafarers, new building con-sultancy, dry-docking, IT solutions and in-surance services. It offers its services around the globe, supported by 22 offices in 14 countries with a head office in Hong Kong. Anglo-Eastern has currently over 470 ships in full technical management with over 21,000 seafarers in the pool.

Anglo-Eastern Signs Premium Turbocharger Maintenance Contract

Pictured at the contract signing (from left): Peter Dittrich – Head of Contract Management – MAN PrimeServ Turbocharger, Ivan Blazina – Group Purchasing Director – Anglo-Eastern Ship Management Ltd., Jesper Bak Weller – Global Key Account Director – MAN PrimeServ, Thor-sten Lehmann – Vice President – MAN PrimeServ Turbocharger


Icelandic Trawlers Specified with MAN’s SCR SystemTechnical specifications meet IMO Tier III and promote ecologically friendly fishingIn connection with the recent an-nouncement of the construction of three wetfish trawlers for HB Grandi, the Icelandic fishing concern, MAN Diesel & Turbo has announced that the newbuildings’ MAN main engines will also feature its SCR (Selective Cata-lytic Reduction) system.

The company states that the sys-tem will enable the trawlers’ IMO Tier II-compliant engines to fulfil the strict IMO Tier III NOX emission re-quirements.

Vilhjalmur Vilhjalmsson, CEO of HB Grandi said: “When we decid-ed to renew our fresh-fish fleet, we immediately focused on the task of curtailing the ships’ power require-ments, both in terms of the propul-sion plant as well as electricity pro-duction, so as to make the exhaust gas as clean as possible.”

Vilhjalmsson added that HB Grandi deliberately pursues a green company profile and that its focus on clean and responsible fishing ul-timately led to MAN technology be-ing chosen for the trawlers. As such, HB Grandi’s profile suited the min-imal environmental footprint from operations, including the cleaner exhaust gasses and NOX reduction that the MAN package offers. A fur-ther advantage of choosing MAN

was the relatively straightforward integration of engine, propeller, propulsion controls and SCR sys-tem that equipment from the same manufacturer entails.

MAN Diesel & Turbo reports that special attention was given to se-lecting the optimal position for the SCR system aboard the trawler. This challenge was met and solved

in great part through good cooper-ation with Nautic, the Icelandic spe-cialist designer and ship consultant, at an early stage of the project.

Nautic – based in Reykjavík – is designing the new vessels, which will replace three wetfish trawlers currently in service. The vessels, with their distinctive bows, will be built in Turkey by Celiktrans Deniz Ltd. Sti. with delivery scheduled for May 2016, late-2016 and spring 2017, respectively.

Propulsion package characteristics

The newbuilding HB Grandi wet-fish trawlers will enjoy the benefit of several features to optimise op-eration. These include employing a floating-frequency concept that increases their flexibility and eco-nomical part-load pattern with an up to 17% lower engine/propeller speed and a commensurately lower fuel consumption.

MAN Diesel & Turbo’s new, ad-vanced Alphatronic 3000 genera-tion propulsion-control system will also be installed aboard the trawl-ers and, among other characteris-tics, features tailored ‘dual-propeller load curves’ for optimising towing/trawling and free-sailing conditions.

Selective Catalytic Reduction

SCR is the most tested and ap-proved system for achieving NOX reduction rates up of to 90%. SCR involves the injection of ammonia or urea into the diesel engine’s ex-haust stream. The urea decom-poses into ammonia and carbon dioxide, with the ammonia subse-

quently reacting with NOX and oxy-gen in the presence of a catalyst, transforming into the ecologically-benign constituents of water and nitrogen.

In order to optimise the SCR process at part load, the engine is specified with a turbocharger bypass as part of the exhaust gas temperature system that ensures sufficiently high temperatures.

SCR plant description

MAN Diesel & Turbo’s SCR sys-tem is available in fourteen different sizes, in this way fully covering its entire portfolio of medium-speed engines. The system has been de-vised as a modular kit of compo-nents for reasons of simplicity and to minimise costs.

A special feature of the system is its communication with the engine control system that optimises the temperature for the SCR system at individual loadpoints. A further special feature of the system is its continuous NOX-emission control that saves urea and avoids ammo-nia slip. MAN Diesel & Turbo also offers customised SCR systems on demand.

The main components of the MAN Diesel & Turbo SCR system are:

an SCR reactor catalyst elements a soot-blowing system a dosing unit a mixing device a urea-injection lance a control unit a compressed-air reservoir

module.

Graphic representations of the Nautic wetfish trawler design for HB Grandi. Each vessel will be powered by an MAN six-cylinder L27/38 unit, accompanied by a four-bladed, 3.8-metre, ducted MAN Alpha VBS 860 propeller (both images courtesy HB Grandi/Nautic)

Annotated diagram showing the key components of the MAN Diesel & Turbo SCR system


Examining the Exploitation of Methanol as a Fuel Type MAN Diesel & Turbo’s dual-fuel ME-LGI concept explores liquid possibilities

Methanol as a ship fuel is interesting for ship operators because it does not contain sulphur and is liquid in ambient air conditions, which makes it easy to store on board ships.

For ships operating in International Maritime Organization (IMO) emis-sion control areas (ECA), methanol could be a feasible solution to meet sulphur requirements.

When using methanol, the emis-sion reductions are similar to the advantages obtained by using liq-uid natural gas (LNG), however in-stallation costs on board are only a fraction of the costs for LNG. Fur-thermore, methanol can be pro-duced from biomass.

Other issues also increase the interest in methanol and other new fuel types. To limit CO2 emissions, the IMO decided already in 2013 to adopt the Energy Efficiency Design Index (EEDI) as a mandatory instru-ment for ships built after January 2013. This has influenced the en-gine market and technical solutions quicker than anticipated. Therefore, to lower the EEDI, alternative low carbon fuels, such as natural gas (NG), liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) and methanol will be serious rivals to fuel-oil in the future.

By nature, NG, LPG and metha-nol generate fewer CO2 emissions during combustion than fuel oils. Furthermore, methanol is interest-ing because bio-methanol can be made from a vast variety of bio-masses and mixed with methanol made from fossil fuels.

MAN developed the ME-LGI (Liquid Gas Injection) engine in re-sponse to interest from the ship-ping world in operating on alterna-

tives to heavy fuel oil. Methanol and LPG carriers have already operated at sea for many years and many more LPG tankers are currently be-ing built as the global LPG infra-structure grows.

With a viable, convenient and economic fuel already on board, exploiting a fraction of the cargo

to power the vessel makes sense with another important factor be-ing the benefit to the environment. MAN Diesel & Turbo is working to-wards a Tier III compatible ME-LGI version, which can already be or-dered today.

Further market feedback also tells MAN Diesel & Turbo that there

is an interest in methanol from ships operating in remote areas where it is difficult to establish LNG delivery and terminals. Large-scale LNG is economically feasible, but small-scale LNG becomes expensive due to the rather large investment costs.

Methanol can be stored in nor-mal non-pressurised tanks, and is easy to transport. Train, truck and ship deliveries are already in place in many areas, so methanol infra-structure can easily be established and become feasible – even for a single ship in a remote area.

At the moment, the cost of meth-anol is higher than the cost of heavy fuel oil (HFO) so it only makes sense to use methanol in sulphur emission control area (SECA) zones, for river traffic, in remote areas with strict emission control (for example on lakes or in arctic zones) and in inland waters.

In 2015, an approx. 30% reduc-tion of fuel costs will be achieva-ble when compared to marine gas oil (MGO) containing 0.1% sulphur. Therefore, it also makes sense to consider retrofit solutions for exist-ing ships.

When all this is said, it is impor-tant to notice that methanol is tox-ic, corrosive and takes up twice as much space as marine diesel oil (MDO). Because of this, special

considerations have to be taken – both in terms of the engine design, during maintenance and in case of leakages.

Methanol as a Fuel

In 2012, MAN Diesel & Turbo de-cided to expand its engine portfolio by looking at low-flashpoint fuels and, as a result, the ME-LGI engine series was introduced.

The MAN B&W ME-LGI engine is the dual-fuel solution for low-flashpoint liquid fuels in contrast to the ME-GI (Gas Injection) engine where the fuel is injected in the gas-eous state. Methanol is character-ised by a low cetane number and its self-ignition quality is therefore poor. The ME-LGI engine can be delivered in different versions, de-pending on the low flashpoint liquid (LFL) fuel type used. Fuels for the ME-LGI engine are categorised by their vapour pressure at 60°C and injection is accomplished by a Fuel Booster Injection Valve (FBIV), us-ing 300 bar hydraulic power to raise the fuel pressure to injection pres-sure, illustrated in Fig. 1.

Methanol has a flash point of 11°C, which is not Safety of Life at Sea (SOLAS)-compliant. However, since MAN Diesel & Turbo uses a double-wall design with all its methanol components, and since all leakages are monitored and col-lected in the double barrier, there are no problems related to this. In-deed, it is far easier to handle meth-anol than LNG.

To be able to use methanol fuel on the ME-LGI, the cylinder covers are equipped with fuel booster in-jection valves designed specifically for methanol operation. For a 50-bore engine, this means that each cylinder cover is equipped with two additional methanol booster injec-tors. A liquid gas injection (LGI) block is also fitted on the cylinder cover.

This block contains a control valve for methanol fuel injection, a sealing booster activation valve, a forced-suction activation valve, an LGI purge valve and methanol fuel inlet/outlet valves.

All pipes for hydraulic oil and fuel are double-walled. Furthermore, the double-walled pipes for meth-anol fuel are vented with ventilation air, see Fig. 2.

The methanol booster injector valve must be cooled, and running surfaces must be lubricated. For this purpose, a combined sealing and cooling oil system delivering a 50-bar system oil pressure has been integrated into the engine, and the system both lubricates all running surfaces and ensures that the temperature in the booster Fig. 1: Working principle of the Fuel Booster Injection Valve (FBIV) for methanol

Hydraulic oil in fromexternal control valve (300 bar)

MeOH fuel valve

Slide valve

MeOH boosting & injection (550 bar)

MeOH suction

Hydraulic oil out (1 bar)

MeOH 8 barsupply pressure

MeOH

Principle of the FBIV – Fuel Booster Injection Valve.Sealing oil for lubricating,cooling and sealing of the valve

}

Fig. 2: Cylinder cover equipped with fuel booster injectors and an LGI control block.

All fuel pressure pipes are double-walled

The LGI components, highlighted in yellow, are based on the familiar, proven ME-design


valve is lower than the maximum permitted 60°C. The actual design is shown in Fig. 3.

The sealing-oil pressure is gener-ated internally in the booster valve in order to avoid contamination of the hydraulic oil operating the valve. The sealing oil has other advantag-es. It avoids methanol from going into the umbrella system and fur-ther down into the drain oil system. The cooling oil and sealing oil sys-tem are fully integrated in the en-gine design, including equipment for continuous monitoring of meth-anol contamination in the oil system. If methanol is detected in the sys-tem, the engine switches to fuel-oil mode, and methanol is purged from the engine. At the same time, the cooling oil pump supply side switches to clean system oil, and the oil circuit is flushed with clean oil. The clean oil is then collected, together with the contaminated oil in the cooling oil tank, and the sys-tem is only able to continue opera-tion when no methanol is detected in the tank.

To ensure the correct tempera-ture of the FBIV, the oil is cooled in a heat exchanger, which is con-nected to, e.g., the low temperature cooling system. When the fuel is injected, the combustion condition is monitored with pressure mean indicator (PMI) sensors located in each of the cylinder covers. The in-jection pressure is approx. 500 bar. Three combustion conditions are monitored: the compression pres-

sures, combustion pressures and expansion pressures.

The 8-bar-pressurised metha-nol is delivered to the engine via double-walled pipes, ventilated with dry air taken from the starting air system. To suck in air, a ventila-tion system is fitted at the outlet. All methanol fuel equipment is made in a double-walled design, and any methanol leakage develops into methanol vapour.

This is monitored by HC sensors located close to the outlet of the double-walled piping system. In case of an excessive methanol va-pour content in the ventilation, the safety system shuts down metha-nol operation and returns to opera-tion on fuel-oil alone. This switch is performed smoothly and without any power loss.

A methanol control and safety system is integrated into the en-gine and the main operating pan-el (MOP) is equipped with a us-er-friendly interface for methanol operation. On this panel, the LGI system monitors and indicates the relevant pressure, temperatures and position of the different valves.

This article is a heavily abridged version of the original technical pa-per – “Using Methanol Fuel in the MAN B&W ME-LGI Series”, – writ-ten by René Sejer Laursen of MAN Diesel & Turbo’s Two-Stroke busi-ness unit in Copenhagen. The pa-per is freely available from the com-pany upon request.

Fig. 3: The methanol booster injector with cooling oil (blue) and sealing oil (red) supply fully integrated

Fig. 4: ME-LGI system overview

Fuel valve train (GVU)

ME-LGIengine

Methanol supply system

Methanol service tank

Methanol cargofuel pump

Double wall pipesSingle wall pipes

The Methanex methanol plant in Chile. The company is the world’s largest producer and supplier of methanol to major international markets (picture courtesy Methanex)


Recently, STX Heavy Industries successfully built the world’s first 45-centimetre-bore, ultra-long-stroke, low-speed engine.

The MAN B&W 5G45ME-C9.5 en-gine passed its TAT (Type Approval Test) and features a fully electron-ically-controlled system that opti-mises vessels’ green profile. MAN Diesel & Turbo considers the G45 engine as an excellent choice for smaller, oceangoing ships.

Development of the new engine focused on reducing exhaust-gas emissions to a minimum, while the introduction of a fully electronically controlled system aims at optimis-ing fuel economy.

The new engine is the first in a se-ries of eight individual main-engines bound for vessels currently under construction by Chinese shipyard NanTong Sinopacific Offshore & Engineering Co. Ltd. and ordered by Odfjell, a leading company in the global market for the transpor-tation and storage of bulk liquid chemicals.

The TAT was performed at STX’s

Changwon plant with the attend-ance of several classification soci-eties and shipowners.

G45 application example

MAN Diesel & Turbo offers the ex-ample of a G45 engine installed aboard an 800-teu container ship as an illustration of a typical appli-cation for the new engine type.

Given a design draught of 8 me-tres for the vessel, a 5.7-m, four-bladed propeller could be em-ployed. With this propeller and a service speed of 17 knots, an SMCR engine speed of about 105 rpm would be optimal and the SMCR power would approximately be 6,070 kW (with a 15% sea mar-gin and 10% engine margin). At a normal continuous rating of 5,465 kW, a typical, modern, low-speed engine would have a specific fuel-oil consumption of 166 g/kWh, re-sulting in a nominal, daily fuel-oil consumption of 21.8 t/day (equiva-lent to a consumption of 24.3 t/day when running on HFO and includ-ing a tolerance of 5%).

In contrast, applying an MAN

B&W 6G45ME-C9 unit using the same parameters, the specific fuel-oil consumption would be 161.4 g/kWh – a significant reduction in the daily fuel-oil consumption of 2.8%.

Further improvements could be gained by increasing the propeller diameter to make use of the G-en-gines lower shaft-speed range. In this respect, increasing the propel-ler diameter from 5.7 to 5.9 metres, the optimal propeller speed would then become 97 rpm. However – at 97 rpm – a typical, modern, low-speed engine is no longer suitable for this application. With the larger propeller, the power requirement for 17 knots is reduced by about 1%, which translates into further fuel savings if a G-engine is used.

Rationale behind G-type introduction

The optimum propeller speed of oceangoing ships such as bulkers and container vessels is changing and steadily becoming lower. This is because the larger the propel-ler diameter that can be used for a ship, the correspondingly low-

er the actual propeller power and pertaining speed requirement will be, and the lower the propulsion power demand there is per ton bulk transported.

These factors have an influence on which main engine type should be selected and installed as the prime mover, and also on the size of the vessel to be built. Recent development steps have made it possible to offer solutions that en-able significantly lower transporta-tion costs.

One of the goals in today’s ma-rine industry is to reduce the impact of CO2 emissions from ships and, therefore, to reduce the fuel con-sumption for the propulsion of ships to the widest possible extent at any load. This means that the inherent design CO2 index of a new ship, the so-called energy efficiency design index (EEDI), will be reduced. In the future, this drive will probably result in operation at lower than normal service ship speeds compared to earlier, resulting in reduced propul-sion power utilisation.

A more technically advanced de-

velopment drive is to optimise the aft body and hull lines of the ship, including the bulbous bow, also considering operation in ballast condition. This makes it possible to install propellers of larger diameter, thereby obtaining higher propeller efficiency, but at a reduced opti-mum propeller speed, i.e. using less power for the same ship speed. As the two-stroke main engine is directly coupled to the propeller, the introduction of the latest MAN B&W, ultra-long-stroke G-engine types meets this trend of installing large propellers, which may reduce the ship’s fuel consumption. Ac-cordingly, today bulk carriers and container ships, among other ves-sel types, are often ordered with a G-engine type as prime mover.

MAN B&W 5G45ME-C9.5

Bore (cm) 45

Stroke (mm) 2,250

Power output L1 (kW) 6,950

MEP L1 (bar) 21.0Source: MAN Diesel & Turbo

Scene from the G45 TAT at the STX works in Changwon, Republic of Korea

World’s First G45 Engine Passes Type Approval Test in KoreaFully electronic control system heightens green profile of ultra-long-stroke G-type engine; first engine in series of eight for Odfjell vessels


Chilean Fishing Application Orders MAN GenSets for Specialist Segment21/31 engines to deliver power for new generation of wellboats

MAN Diesel & Turbo has won the order for 3 × MAN 6L21/31 gensets to power a wellboat newbuilding for Patago-nia Wellboat, the well-known Chilean fish-farming operator.

The order is the latest in a long his-tory of wellboat references for MAN Diesel & Turbo in Chile’s important, domestic fish-farming industry.

The new wellboat will be built at Asenav – Chile’s largest, private shipbuilder – in Valdivia, Chile. It will be the first vessel in a new gen-eration of wellboats designed and developed by Asenav in coopera-tion with Patagonia Wellboat.

Engine delivery is scheduled for Q4 2015 with vessel delivery ex-pected May 2016. The new order includes an option for an extra, identical wellboat.

A significant reference

The order for the gensets is the lat-est in a long line of Chilean fishing and fish-farm orders for medium-speed MAN engines, where espe-cially the 23/30 model has been popular.

The MAN 21/31 engine has al-ready established a solid foothold in other, major South American fishing markets such as the recent three trawlers ordered by Norwegian-based fishing concern, Copeinca (Corporacion Pesquera Inca S.A.), built at Peru’s SIMA Callao shipyard (Servicios Industriales de la Marina S.A.) and equipped with 6L21/31 main propulsion engines.

The MAN 21/31 engine

The L21/31 engine has a 1,290-1,935 kW output range and, be-sides applications such as large fishing vessels, is also common-

ly employed by small to medium-sized tankers, cargo vessels, fer-ries, Ro-Ro vessels, coasters, tugs, workboats and supply vessels.

Geographical context

The Republic of Chile has a very well-developed fish-farming indus-try that frequently uses wellboats to transport the harvest from deep-water cages to holding areas near onshore processing facilities. For MAN Diesel & Turbo, this offered an opportunity to re-establish links with the local shipbuilding industry.

Flanked by the Pacific Ocean to the west and the Andes to the east, Chile’s coastline is almost 6,500 kil-ometres long and reaches all the way south to the Antarctic Ocean. Carved up by fjords and dotted with islands in sparsely-populated areas, southern Chile is an ideal location for intensive fish produc-tion. Forecasts indicate that farmed produce here will provide 40% of the total output by global fisheries in 2015.

Wellboat design and functions

Patagonia Wellboats is a pioneer in transporting live fish and has a fleet of wellboats for the transportation of salmon and trout, the latest gen-eration of which have all been built by Asenav.

The wellboat concept originates from a desire for a better product. Traditionally, the aquatic culture ap-proach has involved catching fish, processing them in situ and pre-serving them with ice until the mar-ket can be reached.

Wellboats are a unique kind of fishing-vessel-cum-housing-facility where fish are collected from where they are bred and transported live

to processing facilities near the market. Huge pipelines transfer the fish from their breeding enclo-sures at sea to the wellboat’s stor-age tanks – whose water closely replicates that of the fish farm with no disadvantage to the fish.

Indeed, wellboats carefully con-trol all conditions in their storage tanks such as water temperature, CO2 levels and water quality to help the fish settle and stay calm, mini-mising the stress factors that inevi-tably affect fish quality. There are also cameras in each tank to moni-

tor movement.Though storage capacity differs,

a wellboat typically holds about 1,400 cubic metres of water and houses up to 180 tonnes of fish.

About ASENAV and Patagonia Wellboat

Asenav was established in 1973. Its shipyard in Valdivia builds tugs, wellboats, motor yachts, fishing vessels, offshore ships, small cruis-ers, and RoPax and naval vessels for the Chilean Government, as well as customers within and without

South America. Some of the high technology and designs developed by the company are licensed to for-eign concerns, and Asenav con-tinues to develop its own range in accordance with customer require-ments.

Patagonia Wellboat was founded in 1991 in Puerto Montt, Chile and offers shuttle services for smolts using large-capacity vessels espe-cially equipped for the loading, transportation and unloading of ju-venile fish.

Graphic of the Patagonia Wellboat vessel

An example of the MAN 21/31 genset that will power the Patagonia Wellboat newbuilding


MAN Diesel & Turbo’s two-stage turbocharging development project, ECOCHARGE, recently passed a sig-nificant milestone on its way to a suc-cessful market introduction.

The company reports that individual MAN TCR20 and MAN TCX17 units

– combined as a single, two-stage turbocharging system – has had a first run on an MAN 12V35/44 gas engine on a test bed at its Augs-burg, Germany works. The com-pany reports that the ECOCHARGE system has been developed for both gas- as well as HFO-burning engines.

Now that the TCX series has proven its strengths and function-ality on the burner rig, the new EC-OCHARGE system will run over the coming months on the engine to prove its strengths and functionality. The test is the first real opportunity to prove the thermodynamic calcu-lations on an engine, which is key to a successful field test.

MAN Diesel & Turbo sees great potential in two-stage turbo-charged engines, which can be seen in the spate of recent orders for such solutions. Two-stage tur-bocharging differs significantly from single-stage turbocharging in that it also copes with the demands of a high-pressure stage. The MAN TCX turbocharger has been espe-cially developed for two-stage tur-bocharger applications.

The combination of an MAN TCR20 – for the low-pressure stage – and an MAN TCX17 – for the high-pressure stage – offers significant potential for today’s demand for more economical and environmen-tally-friendly engine operation. This is because two-stage turbocharg-ing supplies engines with improved

scavenging air pressures ranging from 5 to >10 bar, as well as sig-nificantly improved turbocharging efficiencies.

Benefits

MAN ECOCHARGE offers major benefits for engine builders. The increase in turbocharging efficien-cies, in comparison to single-stage turbochargers, is mainly related to the intercooler – positioned be-tween the low-pressure-stage and high-pressure-stage turbochargers

– that significantly reduces the ener-gy required to compress the intake air to high pressure. The resulting, higher efficiencies have an instan-taneous impact on the engine by advantageously increasing the air pressure over the cylinder during the scavenging process. Additionally, greater turbocharging efficiency fosters the reduction of NOX emissions through the Miller cycle while the improved scaveng-ing efficiencies provided by the EC-OCHARGE system make the en-gine more fuel efficient.

Engine builders can profit from two-stage turbocharging with re-gard to power output and engine size. The higher power-density gen-erated by the ECOCHARGE tech-nology presents the opportunity to choose between significantly boosting an engine’s power out-put or reducing engine size, all the while maintaining an excellent en-gine performance.

The ECOCHARGE system’s in-creased efficiencies and higher cyl-inder rating facilitate the use of a smaller engine – and with the same power output as that of a larger unit

– using traditional, single-stage tur-bocharging.

ECOCHARGE Takes Significant StepSuccessful two-stage turbocharging test pushes concept towards market launch

The TCX prototype pictured mounted on the ECOCHARGE two-stage turbocharging system

η tur

boch

argi

ng[%

]

Πtotal [-]

one-stage

two-stage with intercooling

5%

Frontal view of the ECOCHARGE two-stage turbocharging system featuring 2 × TCR20 and 2 × TCX17 turbochargers

The higher turbocharging efficiencies of two-stage turbocharging are related to the reduced level of work required post-intercooling, as shown in the diagram here


Dual-Fuel L35/44DF Engine Moves towards Market EntryClassification societies award type approval At an official event in Augsburg rep-resentatives from all major classifica-tion societies awarded type approval to MAN Diesel & Turbo’s L35/44DF engine.

The engine gave a perfect perfor-mance and is now certified for Gen-Set and Controllable Pitch Propeller (CPP) operation all over the world. Lasting from March 30 to April 2, this has been the longest type ap-proval test (TAT) MAN has run so far. Within the shipping industry, all new engines require type approval before installation on board a ship. Class certificates are valid for 5-7 years.

The first L35/44DF’s FAT (Facto-ry Acceptance Test) will take place at MAN Diesel & Turbo’s Frederik-shavn, Denmark facility in May, for which the Type Approval Test in Augsburg is a prerequisite.

Members of the partaking 10 classification societies were im-pressed by the engine’s perfor-mance. “The 35/44DF showed a spotless overall performance with-out any unplanned quick changeo-vers from gas to diesel during op-

eration or any of the type approval tests”, sums up Dr. Günter Heider, Senior Manager at MAN Diesel & Turbo and Head of Test & Validation Four-Stroke Diesel & Gas Engines.

“Among the features that were spe-cifically appreciated and praised by the association members were the quick change overs from gas to diesel mode at 100% load, the

restriction-free gas load perfor-mance at an overload of 110% and the engine’s logic and clear modu-lar design.”

Type approval tests

The entire TAT process involves a series of thorough running tests along with the detailed study of all documentation, sketches and cal-

culations relevant to proceedings. There are three main test blocks:

1) Extreme Conditions Test This tests the engine with minimal oil pressure and max temperature at 110% performance, a cyclic load-ing operation over the course of 40 hours and 1- hour full-torque test at 87% of the nominal speed with a

shutdown by engine overspeed, all to stress the engine and its compo-nents as much as possible. The en-gine is opened up afterwards and its parts checked by the classifica-tion societies.

2) Emergency Operation Here, the engine needs to perform in non-supercharged conditions (suction engine). This test block usually takes 1-2 days with just one or two classification societies pre-sent as observers.

3) Type Approval Test This demonstrates an engine’s abil-ity to perform under different, de-fined engine loads and covers the engine’s ability to switch smoothly from diesel to gas operation and back. The engine´s Alarm & Safety System is also tested to proof com-pliance with MAN’s safety concept for marine DF engines. In addition an Integration Test has to be per-formed to show the engine’s relia-bility in the event of the control sys-tem partly or completely failing.

Specification Dimension 50 Hz 60 Hz

Bore / Stroke mm 350 / 440

Swept volume per cylinder litre 42.3

Cylinder configuration - 6 - 10

Turbocharger attachment - CS, CCS

Engine Speed rpm 750 720

Rated output per cylinder kWm/Cyl. 530 510

Brake Mean Effective Pressure (BMEP) bar 20

Power range kWm 3,060 - 5,300

Application: Marine

-

Dual-fuel electric,

dual-fuel mechanic

& aux. GenSet

Source: MAN Diesel & Turbo

DIESELFACTS 2/2015

For further information

MAN Diesel & [email protected] www.mandieselturbo.com

See DieselFacts online with video clips: www.mandieselturbo.com/dieselfactsor download the app to your iPad or Android tablet.

Publisher: Peter Dan Petersen, MAN Diesel & Turbo

All data provided in this document is non-binding. This data serves informational purpo-

ses only and is especially not guaranteed in any way. Depending on the subsequent spe-

cific individual projects, the relevant data may be subject to changes and will be assessed

and determined individually for each project. This will depend on the particular characteri-

stics of each individual project, especially specific site and operational conditions.

A Routine Inspection aboard the Majestic Mærsk

It’s early Monday morning in Bremer-haven when DieselFacts meets up with MAN Diesel & Turbo Superinten-dent Jörgen Gunnarsson who is about to begin his routine inspection of the two main engines aboard the Triple E ship Majestic Mærsk.

On the gangway (1)

The sun is rising up as Jörgen Gun-narsson steps onto the gangway to start his routine inspection of the Majestic Mærsk.

In the engine control room (2)

Gunnarsson puts on his boiler suit and grabs a cup of coffee in the Engine Control Room (ECR) before checking the latest data from the two MAN Diesel & Turbo low-speed engines that propel the big ship.

“The data will inform us on the his-tory of all pressures, temperatures, settings and so on. In fact, I can see everything that has been recorded since the vessel’s delivery,” Gun-narsson explains.

“You could call it ‘the black box’ of the ship, but conversations are not recorded as they are in airplane cockpits,” adds the Superintendent.

Tests in the Engine Room (3)

Modern engines like the ones on Majestic Mærsk are able to “survey themselves” and provide plenty of data for engineers. But Gunnars-son also makes his own meas-urements to ensure the long-term health of the engines. In the picture, the superintendent is checking pis-ton rings.

“When I inspect an engine, I am looking for abnormalities. My report can look a bit negative and as if the engine is running badly, but that´s not true,” says Gunnarsson.

Explaining his findings (4)

Using a headlight, Superintendent Gunnarsson takes a closer look at the piston rings. He uses a mirror with a telescopic extension, which enables him to see the other side of the pistons. In a notebook, he takes notes before explaining some of his findings to a cadet onboard (pic-tured). With a small camera, Gun-narsson also takes pictures for oth-er engineers to analyse later.

Gunnarsson explains: “Things that look normal don´t need any comments or actions, while things

that look abnormal often need to be kept under observation, some-times with a view to replacement or repair. That’s the reason my inspec-tion sounds worse than it is.”

Reporting to the office (5)

To accommodate DieselFacts’ wish to get an overview of the ship, Gun-narsson goes to the bridge.

While there, he phones the MAN Diesel & Turbo office to report his findings (at this point he has already entered his findings into the com-pany database).

The Captain’s view (6)

The contrast is rather striking be-tween Gunnarsson’s focus on en-gine details and the captain’s total overview from the bridge, but the

hotline between these “two worlds” is regularly used. Besides being in continuous phone contact, the captain also visits the ECR at least once a day.

The business that never sleeps (7)

While the Majestic Mærsk is docked at Bremerhaven Port, its workers are busy offloading con-tainers from the huge ship.

2

4

3

5

6

1

7

The Triple E ships, the largest type of Maersk ship, are powered by two MAN B&W 8S80ME-C9 engines, each with 8 cylinders (800-mm bore, 3,450-mm stroke) and an output of 29,680 kW.

Documents

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